Sustainability Related Courses

Only want to take one class with a focus on sustainability rather than a minor or major? You can still take a variety of courses within the curriculum that also count towards General Education Credit, Theme credit, or may be required within your major.

Listed below are sample course groupings that you may find helpful as examples or as starting points in designing a Liberal Studies Emphasis in sustainability. Students who wish to major in Liberal Studies with a sustainability emphasis are encouraged to take a variety of courses from each of the three focus areas listed below to obtain a more diverse and well-rounded understanding of sustainability. Students who are interested primarily in one specific area of focus, however, may prefer to take the majority of their electives from one of the three defined concentration areas listed below.

IDS 180-04 Sustainability as a Lifestyle - Fall 2015

Yumi Jakobcic (1 credit)

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., class meets 8/31/15-10/24/15

This course invites you to take a deeper look at sustainability best practices and to consider how your lifestyle can make a difference for environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It is designed to provide a broad and comprehensive perspective of sustainability practices, to give students the opportunity to understand the importance of sustainability through an academic lense, and to use the campus as a living laboratory to gain a deeper understanding of sustainable living. Topics covered will include consumption health and wellness, transportation, energy, water, fiscal sustainability and community. The emphasis of this course will be on finding ways to incorporate sustainability practices into our current lifestyle and our experience at Grand Valley State University. We will learn from each other, and through lectures, field trips, readings, and group activities.